The Padres aren’t wasting any time reeling in undrafted free agents.
As the dead period expired Sunday morning, the Padres had agreements in place with a handful of players who were not selected in this week’s five-round draft, including Army-committed shortstop Sam Rua, the Union-Tribune confirmed.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel first reported Ruta’s deal $20,000 deal with the Padres, a limit imposed across the board for undrafted free agents by Major League Baseball when it slashed the amateur draft from 40 rounds to five.
Ruta is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound, left-handed hitter out of Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, Pa.